Real Estate Blog - We tried, but couldn’t sell Crest for $35.00 a Tube!

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We tried, but couldn’t sell Crest for $35.00 a Tube!

Crest at $35.00 a Tube! Come one, come all.

Procter and Gamble just fired us. They gave us the right to sell Crest for $35.00 a tube for the last six months and we didn’t get one offer. The market is bad, we knew that, but we advertised the hell out of it. They said we’re through, and now they’re going to give this opportunity to someone else (oh darn!).

“But we do advertising better than anybody”, we told them. “You didn’t produce”, Procter growled as Gamble snarled through grimaced, Crest -streaked pearly whites, “You didn’t advertise it Right!” (They are such a lovely couple.)

We can’t, for the life of us, figure out why it didn’t sell. Lets see how we advertised it, and maybe you can tell us where we screwed up.

Internet:
80% of all people with a toothbrush look here first. So this is where we targeted our advertising first.

We hit all of the usual and customary sites, including Who’s Who in Luxury Toothpaste and Luxe Dental Portfolio.
We even put it on Craig’s List.
A also did a custom Website with a virtual tour of a good mouth brushing and a Dental Tips Blog.

The Dental Registry (DLS):
We’re all over it, and Dental.com (DAR) too.

Sometimes it's hard to outsmart a Tasmanian Devil.

Television:
We did co-branded television and print campaigns. They were saturative, and based on focus group findings of what people most expect in their high-end toothpaste.

Campaign spokesanimal was Bugs Bunny.
Footage of Bugs had starlight filters on his two front teeth, which sparkled a plenty from every angle.
Featured celebrity endorsements from Mr Ed, Francis the Talking Mule, Bucky Beaver and a cable television special targeted to the youth demographic of Butthead getting his braces off. (Like Butthead, we still couldn’t score.)

Magazines:
Coordinated print campaign that ran concordant to television spots.

Bugs was featured first, with teeth prominent in all print ads. (Starlights added graphically to teeth.)
Included Scratch and Sniff Pages in Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan and other high profile publications.

Newspapers:
National PR campaign to generate news, plus “Name That Rabbit” contest in local newspapers.

Direct Mail:
Postcard campaign to everyone in our data base who has a mouth.

Grocery Stores:

Point of Purchase Displays.
End Aisle Free Brushing stations w/ teaser samples.

Whew:
We were exhausted when it was all over. No stone was unturned in our effort, yet no sales.

What Did We Do Wrong?
That is the question. And we have no idea.

With everything we did, why could we not sell Crest for $35.00 a tube?
What can we do to stop Procter and Gamble from giving someone else this opportunity?
What does selling Crest for $35.00 a tube have to do with selling a house?

We appreciate your feedback.

Click Here (for something cool)

Our Bolero Button? (It's in the sidebar under mybloglog.)

Posted by Gary Bolen (CRS) Lake Tahoe Real Estate Information on 08/28/2007 01:07 PM

Comments (152)

lake tahoe real estate, south lake tahoe, gary bolen, richard bolen, lake tahoe real estate blog, marketing, advetising

Originally posted at: Lake Tahoe Experts: We tried, but couldn’t sell Crest for $35.00 a Tube!

This post has been included in California Information El Dorado County, CA Information South Lake Tahoe, CA Information

152 Comments on We tried, but couldn’t sell Crest for $35.00 a Tube!

AUG

2007

Absolutely wonderful concept post!

A 5 and a recommended FEATURE for you Gary!

PS: I love the photochopping you did.

Great post, Good points, But you are not actually coming out and saying that $35.00 Is just too much for a tube of tooth paste are you?

I mean maybe I should talk to P&G, Maybe I could bet a ton of hard earned cash doing the same advertising that you did... If I could get $35/tube I could get a good commission. Hummmm...

But whats the answer, just tell P&G that they are screwed? That it looked like you could get $35 but really the paste is only worth $5. Well at least that way you could have saved your add money.

Gary, I can't stop laughing. This has to be positively the MOST timely and funny post I have read on this subject. I flagged it, I hope it will be not only a feature post but at the top for a long long time!

Hi Gary,

Very funny! Maybe if you had tried door knocking that might have helped! You got a 5 from me too.

Definitely one of the best articles I've read in quite a while. You guys are getting SCARY good!

Very creative....and at $35 a tube! I guess if all the competitors listed their toothpaste at $36 a tube you would have sold, you think? Great illustration!

Very funny! I'm going to save this for sellers who expect the impossible.

i think it would have worked if you thru in a FREE toothbrush valued at $19.95!!! and the next 100

callers would get a container of floss valued at $24.95 --BUT YOU NEED TO CALL NOW--FOR AN EXTRA

$9.95 you should include to teeth whitening kit---ACT NOW!!! lol--mike

I'd comment, but I can't stop laughing long enough to type one!

Funny stuff guys and makes the point so well.

Great post!

Yeah - Featured! And like Rich says, Scary Good!

This is a great one! I actually laughed out loud.

An awesome post. Not only couldn't you sell Crest for $35, but also had six months to do it. What were you doing all that time? Well done. Bravo!

Loved it, loved it, loved it!

Very good point, one of the most important lessons for new agents to learn. Regarding the comment up top: the answer as to what do you about it is: Don't accept the "opportunity" in the first place to sell something at a crazy price. Look at all that marketing they did! They were exhausted afterwards!

I am going to look forward to more of your posts. Very entertaining.

Excellent post - well worth being featured. Perhaps I should subscribe?

lol. Isn't it the truth!

I'm guessing that Proctor&Gamble explained to you, IN DETAIL, why even though their toothpaste was "slightly" high, and resembled AAAALLLL of the other toothpastes on the shelf, theirs was the NICEST on the shelf. Am I wrong?

Gary - this is GREAT!! I think you missed something, though, that might have helped sweeten the pot and helped you sell that $35.00 tube of toothpaste - FREE DENTAL FLOSS!! That could have been the carrot that should have been dangled!!

I LOVE the 'just add water' !!!! That is a gorgeous picture and so clever! VERY nicely done!

Ann

I'd probably grab one, if you threw in a free Mercedes with toothbrush/cup holder...

haven't we all seen that one by now?

Awesome post -- it kind of scares me how long that may have taken you to put together!!

I love the metaphor. Clearly, P&G have fallen in love with their recent upgrades to the tube and the special alloys they recently purchased for the toothpaste cap! ;-) Oh, and don't forget the wonderful view when you look through the box. Of course with those upgrades it must be worth $35. Great post. :-)

Oh my gosh... I LOVED this!

You know, if you would have thrown in a Flat Screen TV, i would have bought a tube.

Don't worry about being fired because right across the street Colgate is interviewing exclusive agents to sell their toopthpaste for $40. They're not in such a hurry either they will sign for a year. They're willing to wait for that special buyer.

Great post!

FANTASTIC post as usual! I give you huge kudos for so clearly illustrating the uselessness of listing a home, ANY HOME, if it's not going to be priced correctly. 5 for you, and I'll be linking to this one for reference from time to time (only if that's OK with you of course).

Hey guys...in the face of value, price is no object. Did you make sure to use the old gem "You don't just get the toothpaste...you get me." I know that when I'm looking to buy toothpaste it's very important that I work with someone that I can trust and who can keep me updated on the state of tooth brushing. Better luck next time!

You better watch out or Proctor and Gambel will want to give the commission to a discount dental broker who will sell it for $32.50 a tube. Great post. You definitely got the point across.

Ha, Ha, Ha Gary....Great follow-up to the comment you left on my blog last night. Great job

This one made me subscribe! Thanks. You didn't mention putting it on the FRONT page of the newspaper.

I'm the analogy guy and this post is one of the best.

By the way, Gary, your company description on your profile indicates http://www.laketakerealestateblog.com/. Is this supposed to be www.laketahoerealestateblog.com instead? Thought I'd mention that to you.

Gary - this is absolutely priceless! I am definitely showing it to one of my sellers that is about to be fired. She absolutely will not listen. The house has been on the market for a year and her emotional attachment won't let her see that it's not worth what she thinks it is. You had a stroke of genius when you put this one together!

This is wonderful! I'm going to link it to my outside blog! Thanks for the chuckle!

Vicki

So many layers. Brilliantly written. I would like to write something clever in comment, but nothing can top this. Priceless.

I don't get it, you did all that and it still didn't sell? And you probably aren't going to get reimbursed for your fees, nor for your time?

Great metaphor (and that trick on your blog is pretty darn cool too!)

Fabulous, fantastic! Thanks for making my day! I'm sharing it with the office!

Nancy Daley, Daley Real Estate

This is fantastically funny! I will use this analogy with all of my OPL's (over priced listings)! So what if I sound sarcastic, by that time they deserve it!! Big "5" for you two!!!

This is a keeper! lol

How about "Just Brushed" and "Just Flossed" postcards to the surrounding neighborhood...

Another helpful tool would be to do a video tour of the toothpaste, and to get a list of recent updates and improvements done by the current paste seller and have them available as a flyer on an storeshelf rider (be sure to keep those flyers stocked).

Or run classified ads seeking buyers for toothpastes...

The real trick would be to find those people who were brushing there teeth, but have failed to get them whiter, and then make a presentation to those expired tooth brushers... they should be your buyers.

Hilarious!

Whoever wrote the above HILARIOUS response, please identify yourself so that I can subscribe to you, too-

Instead of spending all your budget on advertising perhaps you should have offered half your commission to cooperating tooth paste salesmen. That's what works for me.

I think that Procter and Gamble didn't have to sell their toothpaste, they only wanted to sell if they could get their price.

But if I understand correctly P&G spent $29 on enhancements that came from a small village in the Swiss Alps and was carried by hand all the way over here. So that alone should make it worth the $35 asking price! Do they realize that only 1 out of 5000 buyers are interested in their enhancements and from those buyers only 2 are looking to purchase a tube of toothpaste in the next three years. P&G is sure that the right buyer is out there they just need to find the one that will love their tube as much as they do.

You forgot the catered dental open house! Oh, and it must be gel, right? Because everyone knows that gel is better than paste.

BLOG OF THE YEAR!!! Nice...haven't stopped laughing yet!

I wonder if the Crest tube came with a Listerine Mouthwash with a full-price offer.

Great Post! I may consider putting this in my listing presentation! LOL

I love this analogy. It is a very poinient reminder of what we find everyday with sellers that are not willing to face the reality of today's market place.

Oh my gosh! I am sitting in my office at the computer and laughing like a looney tune with no one around.

This would be perfect for a listing presentation! I absolutely love it!

Fabulous!

Very good Gary..nice way to present another point of view. I used to use the spagetti dinner.

Terrific analogy, Gary. So creative, and funny, but what a great way to get a poin across.

Jeff

Brilliant!

Overpriced product wont move.....no matter how good you are at marketing. I still meet with potential clients that are quick to add that "someone else" said their property was worth X with X being so far outside the market that someone from outside our galaxy could not be duped by great marketing. Something agent X does not even possess the ability to produce. Great post with an "out of the box" twist.

With "water shortage" woes increasing, maybe you could help with the marketing of my new product : DEHYDRATED WATER. Easy to carry and simple to use.....simply add water and stir. I will let you have the rights to market my product at only $5. Maybe you could get somewhere with it? Would be the perfect accompaniment to your web site.

P.S. Did you try one of those companies touting first page placement on GOOGLE for only $49.95 per month for the search phrase "Buy crest toothpaste for only $35 on the web direct from the distributer"? According to their sales pitch, it would have worked. They said so anyway. Guaranteed or....some of our money back!

Excellent analogy ! Should we forward this to our sellers ?

Pretty slick guys and it takes more than slick to get it done.....P&G must know something we don't. Nice post.

I think I should commit this story to memory---might come in mighty handy during a particularly difficult listing appointment.

Dang! I just bought a Colgate for $40...I always was the black sheep! LOL! Great post Gary!

Excellent post. What you failed to mention was the possibility of renting the Crest toothpaste for $1 per use... or of allowing the Chinese manufacturer who sold the lot to P&G to simply claim it back once they stopped paying their bills...

Caution: If you had used the images of any Disney characters in your post you would have already heard from their lawyers. I am surprised that the kind intellectual property people at Time-Warner have not already contacted you! They are really sensitive about the use of these images!

Gold Team - Thanks for your help here. Got the image this am from a free download off a loney tunes website: http://www.cartoonspot.net/looney-tunes/picture-bugs-bunny-4.php. Use of image is discussed in their disclamer and is intended for public use as a "fair use provision."

At one point I did free lance graphic design work for Disney and am not sure if I would have heard from their attorney's or not by now. Truth is I doubt it. Though if we were to use one of their characters, I would have certainly found a similar situation as we did this morning in acquiring the image and using it.

Appreciate the heads-up nevertheless.

I wonder why nobody wanted to buy toothpaste at such a good deal.

Interesting way to get a point across

I wonder why nobody wanted to buy toothpaste at such a good deal.

Interesting way to get a point across

what a great analogy, funny but filled with very valid points. Well done

Well, surely you can ell just by looking that Crest toothpaste is worth more than any other toothpaste, even though the tubes are the same size and have the same ingredients... You can just tell that theirs is worth more...anyone can tell.

You violated the Fair Tooth Authority. You left out a protected class... The Enamel Deficient. (toothless)

West Virgians have money too!!!

Gary - This is an awesome post for pricing your home properly. I love the way you presented this. This would be a great hand out for those sellers that just "don't get it". 5 stars from me.

ALL OF YOU - Thanks so much. We're rather stunned from the really nice things all of you have said today. Am brain dead tonight. There's a follow-up post to this one, which we're trying to get out tomorrow.

We'll start thanking each of you individually in the am, and then comment on each of your blogs as well. That'll take a few days, but in the meantime, we're grateful that anything we did might have given any of you something to smile about.

Best

Gary and Richard

You guys put some teeth into this post, hopefully you will get some bites!

Ha! Now that's good entertainment.

AUG

2007

So funny and so true. We are taught the difference between value and selling price. Maybe it's time for selling price and value to get a little closer?

Very good and very entertaining. Thanks for being so clever.

This is a great way to help a seller understand how important pricing is. Thanks for the perspective.

This is hysterical! There are a few pretty funny comments, too. This would really get the sellers attention.

Great post!

Which of you is the creative one who wrote this, or did you collaborate? May I borrow this analogy to give my home sellers? I think I'll print it out... One of the best posts I've ever read on ActiveRain, and I've read a lot of good ones. By the way, did you try any of those lead generation companies? If not, that may be the reason you failed!

P.S. I LOVE your "something cool" - How did you do that?

Very creative!

I loved it. It's like standing in the Wal-Mart parking lot trying to get someone to give $50 for your $20 bill.

Thanks!

Oh man!! What great post!! I think all sellers need to read this. Really brings the pricing point home. Hey are you offering financing?

Classic. I loved it. Maybe the Crest Whitening woulkd havce beenan easier sell?

Great job.

Thanks for making me laugh guys :)

Scott

This is going straight into my listing presentation. It will get a good giggle from folks but it will also make them see things as they really are!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Great post, I think we all know the answer, well maybe not our sellers.

LOL, Gary, I think you have too much time on your hands! Seriously, I believe the success or failure of a listing begins the moment you agree on a price.

fantastic post and one we can all relate to right about now!

OMG! What a Great Post! I'm going to steal this example next time I have a seller wanting to overprice their house! Again, great job on the post and graphics!

So simple, so concise, so true! Great post!

Why don't you just throw in a Single Family Home with each tube. I am sure you can get some of them much less than the $35 for the Crest. Also could be a way to reduce the inventory on the market.....Just a thought......I could be wrong......trying to think outside the box here.

Great example. Now when will the sellers realize this? Hah. There should be a way to mail this to every idiot seller pricing their home like it was 2004.

Wonderful Post! This is a great analogy.

That last comment was me. This is great post. I rated it a five and bookmarked it.

Absolutely hilarious! Thanks. I'm subscribing.

This might just be my favorite post of all AR time!!

Hey Gary, just give it time. Historicaly, prices rise through inflation. In another 100 years or so you should be able to get your $35, and maybe even a premium for historic value.

-Chris

Simply too clever...what a great way to talk about unreasonable sellers in a very very creative way. Great Job!

This visual aid gets the point across about over pricing.

Mike M - We're already thanked you privately, and want to thank you again for your help and support of this one. We can't wait to return the respect and favor.

Michael I - Isn't it a drag we don't get our fees for just trying. We should get more when they're overpriced.

Patrick C - Forgot door knocking. Thanks for reminding us. Then our knuckles would be as sore as our heads for all the brainracking we do to try to help and please the unpleasable.

Rich - We're just lightly following in your footsteps... and having fun with the headway. Thanks again for your lead.

Gary W - Thanks for the comment about the Bugs and Taz graphic. Had fun with assembly. And it worked.

Dotti - We're using it with Sellers too. Thanks for your comment.

Michael C - We should'a figured out sense of urgency... and included a Ginsu knife too. Am glad this one caused a smile for ya.

Tricia - That was just enough to get your point across. We're glad you did.

Bill G - We were trying. Thanks for taking your time to get it. It's appreciated.

Mike N - Gland you liked it. Thanks.

Mike M - There you go again. This one turned out to be really fun.

Tracey T - Truth is we laughed out loud too when doing it... "to everybody on our database that has a mouth" was one of 'em. Thanks for sharing this mischief with us.

Andrew L - Sometimes they give us enough listing time to... well, wish we were in another incarnation. We won't take one these days unless it's a year... with built in contractual price reductions.

Lisa H - We did too after it came together. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Lisa C - It certainly is a dubious opportunity, now isn't it? A precursor for therapy, unless we need it otherwise, is not normally sought after Seller benefit. Thanks for your comment.

Steve S - Thanks for thinking of subscribing. After we comment here, we're going to everbody's blog to check it out. It's recriprocity coming back at ya. Thanks.

Cheri S - Things that we laugh at the most always have a truth ring to it. Thanks for noticing and sharing it.

Laurie M - I think we might have told you the night before that this one was coming. We're glad you liked it. Will also respond shortly to your direct email that's buried somewhere here in queue.

Ann C - Forgot about the dental floss. Reminds us of Frank Zappa wanting to be a "Mental Toss Flycoon". Carrot and Stick is certainly a mindset for the market these days, isn't it? Thanks for your comment, and thanks again for your work on the Challenge last week. It's all good.

Dan N - It' didn't take long to put together. The writing was done in two sittings in about 15 minutes total. The graphics took about an hour, most of that searching for the Crest and Bugs image. Adding the toothpast and the caption to it was really quick. It's something I did/do professionally in LA as a freelance designer for years.

Mel A - We thought about going into all of the goofy things we hear, mostly out of denial, about why my house is better than all others, but passed on it because we felt it would have made the piect too long. Nevertheless that was certainly echoing through our heads as we put it together. You are right on it and thanks for taking the time to share it with us.

Sandi B - Your word "gosh" there was so expressive. We read the comment again and again because it felt so good. Thanks, and we owe you a good feeling in return.

Phylena H - What wonderful things to say. It's most appreciated.

Pete T - A "clapper" would have been nice too. With a pocket fisherman. Is that what people mean by "value added"? Thanks for commenting.

Mitchell H - Goo thought. We're calling Colgate HR to set up an interview. We'll teach'em a thing or two. Thanks for your input.

Ryan H - The "as usual" is a really nice thing to say. We're grateful for that, and for the nickel too. Just see what happens when we get to responding on your blog.

Joey A - We laughed out loud at "you get me"! See how things get stirred up, and how a good laugh travels?

Michael D - We didn't even think about discounted dental brokers. That's a great point, and funny to boot.

George T - We'd been using the Crest example for some time, and thought of it when we responded to your post. It was at that moment when we started putting this one together. We owe you one.

Dan F - Thanks for subscribing. We're coming back at ya as soon as we get finished with this and get onto responding to everyone's blog.

Marc V - We like analogy guys. Thanks for your comment.

Carol S - We've let go of 4 of them this year so far. Each one would have said this doesn't apply to them. Two of them even had the audacity to tell us the numbers are "academic" and do not have anything to do with their house. Our character ticker was really off when we found them.

Vicki L - Thanks for the compliment. Glad we helped produce a smile.

Lenn - That's about as nice a thing as we've heard in a long time. As you know, we pay attention to your valuable contributions around here.

Ginger W - They ought'a reimburse us every time. We could make that a condition to take an overpriced listing... of course with a built-in reduction schedule too.

Paul & Nancy - It went around our office too. Glad you enjoyed it. That very much makes it so much more enjoyable for us.

Jennifer B - OPL is a term we're going to use from now on. It would seem that sarcasm might jumpstart market reality from time to time... but perhaps not. Some hard heads are just unpenetrable.

Mark W - Enjoy, and thanks for taking your time to comment. It's appreciated.

Laurie M - There you go again. We're coming back to ya.

Joe D - Aren't they all trying to get into our pocke these days? Gets tiresome, doesn't it?

Michael E - We laughed out loud at your comment. See how a good laugh travels...

Ashley D - We laughed out loud at yours too. It was really a lot of fun yesterday as these comments kept coming in.

Kelly S - Yep, that's another way of spending useless money we forgot. Have you ever noticed the relatinship of disappearing people there to the disappearance of the wine?

Karl C - That's a nice thing to say. We're humbled. So far the thing we like best is a post that Brian Brady did about Benjamin Franklin around the 4th of July. Check it out, and thanks for your wonderful comment.

Marc V - How about some brainwash potion... for you know who? Now that's something that would be priceless, isn't it?

Christopher M - Please do put it in your listing presentation. It's in ours.

Nick H - Reality facing is sometimes a tough thing. We think it's harder for the ego to endure, most times, than a pocketbook.

Deb J - It is a looney's tune that a lot of us find ourselves listening to these days. We think it's a listing presentation piece as well.

Chris G - Thanks for your comment. It's appreciated, and I don't know if we've fully connected with you yet or not. Will check and see, and then do so if not.

Neal B - Pasta works, any metaphor should. It's only a hard head that separates market reality, and our ability find find the soft spot to it. Thanks for commenting.

Jeff D - We're working on it, like all of the rest of you. Wasn't much of an issue back in 03, or 04, or up to September of 05. But it is now. And lets hope it passes soon.

Chris H - Dehydrated water, now that's funny. Have said this above; it's interesting how a good laugh travels, and builds as it does.

Missy - Let's send it to every seller out there. Just for drill. We'll tell'em it's for other sellers they might know.

Gary W - Slick is just one way of letting them down easy. Getting them to slide is easier than dropping them.

Diane B - We think it is part of a listing presentation, at least conceptually, and for every one of them. Thanks for commenting.

Jonathan M - This is the kind of thing that took Ipana out of business. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Tyler W - It wasn't something they could get their teeth into?

Joe Z - Truth is often funnier than fiction. It's in the telling.

Judi B - So true. And how many times have we heard exactly what you said? Enough to make us want to wash out a bunch of mouths with soap.

Bob C - We laughed out loud at your comment. We did the set-up... and you did the punchline. Most appreciated.

Bill G - Give it to all of 'em, and thanks for the 5, and for your comment. It's appreciated as always.

Doug W - No bites yet, at least not from any Sellers. It's funny, this is not the kind of thing they gravitate to. One wonders why is that?

Steve S - And yours is a great comment. And sincerely appreciated.

Rosario L - How about the same? That's what it's going to take in this market.

Bob & Carolin - It just happened. Most of the time clever escapes us fleetingly.

Deborah E - All any of us are looking for is a little understanding, especially about price right now. That is what is going to turn the market around. Until then, well... we've got some time to develop our blog presence, don't we?

Doreen M - We did a post not long ago about What Happens When Greed Gets Into Your Head. It shuts down the eyes and ears, among other things. The trick is how do we get past that? And some heads are much harder than others. Glad we could help give you a smile and thanks for commenting.

Lacey H - Thanks.

Margaret W - We've both got the same sense of humor. It's hard to separate that from each other. Gary's the nice one, sometimes I get to be the hammer. And then we switch. It's not money that drives us; it's a blank page, a blank screen, a guitar waiting for a song. What we like most about this business is sometimes we get to be creative doing it. And that can appear in many aspects of it. That is especially rewarding when we get to be creative in negotiations to put a deal together.

Have not succumbed to any of the lead generation companies yet. Have not found one we trust.

Amy W - Thanks for commenting. We're working on it.

Karen L - Shussssh! Don't say that too loud. Somebody might think we should go to Wal Mart for them.

BB - What would Bertha say about it? Agree that it is something for Sellers to see. And before they become emotionally involved if at all possible.

John K - Thanks for taking the time to comment. It's appreciated.

Scott G - Good to hearing from you again, and glad we had a part in creating a good laugh.

Virginia H - That's a great compliment. Lets hope it works for you... and for them.

Brian B - Denial is a funny thing to circumvent, sometimes impossible, isn't it? Thanks for your comment.

Jennifer W - Want very much for this to be something none of us relate to very soon. Thanks.

David S - Glad you appreciated the graphics... like we appreciate your comment.

Jeffrey M - Isn't it just as simple to look at the numbers and price a house accordingly? One would think!

Ken M - Now that's an idea! Inventory is a great concept too.

Ryan C - The one we like is "we're waiting for the market to to back to what it was." That's a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of a market, which is the sum result of a confluence of factors at any one given point in time. Once gone, the aggregate mix of factors are gone forever.

Malika C - Thanks for your 5 and for your comment.

Rolando C - Thanks for subscribing and your comment.

Leigh B - That's a really nice thing to say and it's sincerely appreciated.

I echo the sentiments of everyone above. This has got to be one of the most creative and perfectly timed I've had the pleasure of reading. I also give it a "5" and a bookmark.

Holy Cow! I think that might be the longest reply to responses I've ever seen! This post will live on in AR infamy!

I liked the post so much I came back for more.:)

AUG

2007

fantastic!

- rudy.sellsius°

You say you did everything you could, but that other advertiser can do more. I don't think you marketed it enough...You didn't do enough for P&G. C'mon where is the billboard ad, the door knocking, the crest mobile, etc!

This was funny and very true to point.

Harrr!

Mind if I print this out and include it in my listing presentations as an icebreaker?

AUG

2007

If you added a selling bonus of a year's worth of toothbrushes to the selling agent with a full priced offer, I'm sure you would have sold it.

Tsk, tsk.

sending this to my fellow agents. Very good stuff.

You had me at MR. ED :)

Excellent post and so on target. It really all boils down to price. The marketing and advertising side can only do so much.

Absoluetly love your post. If only all the real estate agents were confident enough to walk away from an overpriced listing. This is a super cute post!!!! I am saving it!

That had to be the single funniest thing I've read in a while! Great post! A definite 5!

SEP

2007

The world will never change....

Too Funny! I'll be laughing for weeks.

SEP

2007

I have got to share this with some of my clients, if I may? What a great idea you had here, very well done.

A 5 and a feature from me! Thank you, David

I think the problem is . . . you just didn't believe in it. You weren't putting your heart into it.

You IGNORE that, while other toothpastes in the same store aisle have sold in the past six months for a range of $1.95 to $3.95, the Crest is really the best one in the aisle. Look at the box: It has WHITENING. It also has FOIL siding. And those toothpastes down the aisle are, if you'll pardon my French, ****.

Besides, Proctor & Gamble isn't going to just GIVE their toothpaste away.

They're not in a hurry. They can wait until someone comes along and gives them their price.

Besides, if they just go and price it where you show it pricing out at, someone will come in and offer them less---they'll ALWAYS get offered less. Proctor & Gamble does need some negotiating room.

And you know, Proctor & Gamble NEEDS to get $35 a tube on this, because they actually owe $18.4 million on the factory that is producing their toothpaste.

But hey, if that's what you want to do... P&G knows some other agent will come in and take the toothpaste account once it expires, and surely it'll sell if they lower the price just a little, and price it at $33.90. After all....

They're not going GIVE it away!

Maybe they'll wait until next spring, when the people want to look their best and the toothpaste market is better.

Absolutely hilarious! If it's ok with you, I am going to use this post at my next team meeting.

THanks for the laugh, and the reality check.
Bill

SEP

2007

Happy Labor day. I linked to this post today and just wanted to let you know. This post is brilliant.

Cute blog - can I have some of what you are smokin'????

I am going to add this to my listing package. Great stuff

Great post!! Thanks for the information! Keep up the great work!

Sounds a lot like real estate....You've done all the right things too..sounds like a few of my sellers.

You obviously didn't do your job. 6 months on the market and not one tube sold? Did you even have any offers?

SEP

2007

Overpriced listings? What? My house isn't worth half a million? It MUST be my agent!!! LOL. Nice post guys! :)

Sir Bolen and Sir Bolen...

Ahhh. I finally made it to the post that I received several emails about. I'm so sorry for the delay. Real life has a way of cutting into my Blogging. Don't ya hate it when that happens? :)

Now that I am here I see why I received emails about this post. It's flippin' hilarious...Come on...

...Had you guys considered pricing it right? LOL.

P.S. I have another AR Nugget for you. I noted that there is a Part 2 for this post. When you have a Part 2 like that use the comment section of the original post (this one) to let the folks here know you have a Part 2.

You owe me $35.00 for that AR Nugget :)

TLW...ROAR!

SEP

2007

Too funny. That really is a great way to get a pricing point across.

SEP

2007

If you had hired me to stage your Crest, we could maybe get $5.50 or $6.00 who knows, but $35 - even I can't help with that.

SEP

2007

What a perfect analogy to help our sellers REALLY understand the importance of pricing! Thank you! Like so many others, I am going to add this to my listing presentation. The comments are too funny! Just Brushed and Just Flossed Cards! We ActiveRainers are just TOO creative!

Linda Schulte, Atlanta GA

I wanted to let you know I have included this in my prelisting/listing presentation. You're genius and I'm flattered you shared this nugget with us.

SEP

2007

Gary, One of the best pieces I have ever read about overpriced product!!

Of course, people should know that P&G deserved to get $35 for that tube of Crest because it was "manufacturer built" with lots of extra features, such as extra whitening, extra yummy flavor, a tube design only allowing user to squeeze from the bottom, and lots of pretty graphics on the tube which made this the best tube of toothpast on the shelf. So why couldn't you sell it????

SEP

2007

Just get some celebrity to endorse and use the tubes before you sell them and market to fanatic sites.

"Britney touches and sqeezes every tube"

LOL

PS: seriously very good "study".

SEP

2007

Hey this sounds like a marketing campaign that I ran recently.

Except we had to sell $2.4 million in ice cubes to Eskimos.

SEP

2007

one word. Hillerious :)

SEP

2007

GREAT post. I sure hope you made that one public so all of the homeowners out their understand this concept.

All the best,

Beth

OCT

2007

Did you hold any Open Tubes?? P&G put $30 per tube into upgrades like different colors, smoother turning cap, neutral colors, and high end squeeze technology. That MUST mean that it is worth $35 per tube right???

Great post!!

JAN

2008

Thanks to Rich Jacobson, I found this post. It's, as some one said, flippin' outrageous and funny. You wrote this before I joined AR. I'm so happy I found it!

Interesting how you put it in toothpaste terms (something we're not so attached to - I hope!) and a lightbult goes on! I think it's excellent and will share with my office located a few hours from you in Redding. How many months ago did you write this? And it keeps on giving... How cool is that?

DEC

Perhaps a good visual up front from a disinterested 3rd party to show the historical price/tube of other leading brands? I mean - substitution in this market is key, right? Historical Crest Sales

With current prices now in the $2.00/tube range....why on earth would anyone pay $35 ? This is certainly good evidence of why toothpaste appraisals are needed to convince seller's of the truth.

A quality, state certified tooth past appraiser (St Cert TPA) would clearly have made your pricing model competitive in the market!

Sincerely,

Richard D Ferris
Fl St Cert TPA #0014

Great writing. Here in Vegas, there's plenty of 5 dollar toothpaste. The 35 dollar tubes arent' on the market at all anymore. All I have is the crappiest of homes for sale. No one here is on the market anymore unless they're already in trouble, (that includes the banks).

Answer: No matter the marketing magic, every effort, expense and activity is for naught if it's not priced right!

GREAT POST!!!!! And so down to the point! Wow!

I guess most if not all people with teeth looking to buy toothpaste opted for the 88 cent WalMart brand. Comes in a tube, looks like toothpaste, tastes like toothpaste - must be toothpaste!

Hi Gary,

Great post ... this twist definitely illustrates the reality of pricing. I'm planning to use this example the next time I talk with a seller. Thanks for the great idea ... it's especially good because it's "lite."

Best regards,
Mike

Did you try cutting the price to $30??

DEC

Loved this post!!! I just wish I could have rated this article. This was certainly one of the most creative pieces I've seen in terms of pricing the product to sell... right from the start. On a scale of 1 to 10 it's definitely a 10!

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Great Post! I have one; everyone has one - a Seller we would like to give this to. I hereby resolve to bail on my overpriced listing and not take another in 2009! This makes it all so clear - - we are not miracle workers, we are marketers! Thanks for letting us all see the humor in the error of our ways.

Richard, FANTASTIC post! It's been awhile since I visited... so sorry. As always, you hit it right on the "nose".

Happy New Year my friend! I promise I'll be back soon. :-)

I still love this post and I always use the analogy when I speak with others. Guess this post is a classic now.

Before you do anything so drastic as to

suggest a price reduction
return the Crest to P & G......

market it as "cholesterol free" and "fat free"
guarantee that the new owners will lose 15 pounds in 2 months
and
have you considered offering potential buyers limousine service every six months for the first year to the dentist of their choice within a 15 mile radius?
(you then can negotiate a larger radius if necessary)

THIS HAS BEEN A LOT OF FUN!!

Harriet

"LET'S GET MOVING"

But will I offend my sellers if I send this along in my newsletter?

Thanks for the laugh. I'll bet alot of agents with overpriced listings wouldn't even make the connection to your post!

Too funny

Leave the gun. Bring the cannoli.

DEC

Now that you've spent so much money and time on advertising, Proctor & Gamble will understand the market better and now list with me. Clearly you don't know the market but I promise I won't bad mouth you to P&G. Surely they know by now that they have Crest priced way way too high and will be happy to lower the price to where it should have been in the beginning. Then, guess what, I'll end up with the commission. Yeah for me!

Loved the post!!!!! LOL!!!!!!

Kim Pennington, Prudential Woodmont Realty, Music City USA

DEC

Well....I found a tube for 9.99 on the internet! Loved this post!

Okay, point well taken. I agree, no more overpriced listings in 2009! Thanks for the great analogy.

BTW - I love Tahoe. I grew up in Sacramento/Stockton/Bay Area and spent lots of time at both North and South shores. I just visited family friends in Zephyr Cove in September. Still as beautiful as ever.

APR

BaHa...I've wracked my brain and I just can't figure it out either! No takers at $35/tube? People wouldn't know a friggin' bargain if it smacked 'em upside the head...

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